Zomba TREEZ

We strive to protect and preserve one day at a time :)

We, the owner/managers of Zomba Forest Lodge, set up Zomba TREEZ (The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba) in 2014, and have been working with local communities and the Forestry Department to reforest and protect over 300 hectares on the south western slopes of Zomba Plateau.

For those of you who know Zomba Plateau, you know that it is a massif of rolling hills predominantly planted with pine, dotted with pockets of riverine forests and swarthes of grassland.

Zomba TREEZ works mainly on the south western slopes in the areas around Zomba Forest Lodge, with communities and sports teams we have come to know and respect. These areas were previously pine but which after harvesting, had been left uncared for, and much of it burned year after year. We are in the process of obtaining a governmental concession that will allow us to finally officialise and improve our environmental work in this area! We are very excited about this!

It takes hard work and dedication (and funds) but these efforts are sorely needed, and the communities now understand the value of our efforts.

As we move into the fire season (the dry season), this makes our work even more pressing as our teams end up on the Plateau firefighting alongside the Forestry Department, trying to prevent further environmental degradation.

The Run4Reforestation is our main fund raiser for the various activities we carry out which is why we need to make a big song and dance about it :)

The project started off being about reforesting and protecting water catchment areas but we soon learned that it wasn't just about tree planting. Over half our budget goes into fire prevention work which includes creating fire breaks to protect areas from fires and allowing the natural regeneration of trees, sponsoring football and netball teams to help with firefighting and maintenance of the planted trees, paying patrols to provide early warnings of fires, providing tools to help with all the previously mentioned activities.

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In 2018, we held our first Environmental Awareness concert, held at Nankhunda Primary School, for the local communities, with Malawian pop star Moses Mkwawa as the main act. We also held our first Run4Reforestation, a sporting event aimed at raising awareness about the issues of deforestation and environmental degradation, and funds for TREEZ.

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In 2019, we added a 'Battle of the Bands" to the Environmental Awareness concert, with 8 schools competing for the best written song about the environment, judged by that year's headline star act Jay-Jay C amongst others artists and recorded and aired by Zodiak Radio, a national radio station.